Opportunities To Serve

“Christ has no body but yours, no hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes with which He looks Compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which He walks to do good. Yours are the hands, with which He blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are His body. Christ has no body now but yours, no hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes with which he looks compassion on this world. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.”

Serving the community lies at the heart of our parish life. The two primary ministries we support year- round are the food pantries of The Place of Forsyth and Emmaus House in Atlanta. Each week, we are invited to remember these ministries as we do our grocery shopping by bringing in extra goods, pastas, and other needed items for those who are struggling with food scarcity. Combined, these two food pantries assist more than 1,000 families each month. Without our help, some of those families may go hungry for days. Food can be dropped off any Sunday as well as during the week when the parish offices are open. Volunteers take turns delivering the food to The Place and to Emmaus House, and we are always in need of additional volunteers to assist with these monthly deliveries.

In addition to these two primary outreach ministries, St Columba’s assists the ministry of Rainbow Village. Rainbow Village is a ministry of our Diocese that provides transitional housing for displaced families who have school aged children. Some of the ways in which we support Rainbow Village are Thanksgiving Dinner, summer lunches, ‘stock the kitchen’ for families as they move into their own apartment, and after school tutoring. The needs change frequently depending on the community at Rainbow Village and so our support of their ministry is always adapting to help however we can.

Episcopal Relief and Development is another outreach ministry we support each Lent as well as in response to natural disasters. Episcopal Relief and Development (ER-D) is an international relief and disaster agency of the Episcopal Church whose mission is to facilitate healthier, more fulfilling lives in communities struggling with hunger, poverty, disaster, war, and disease. Each Lent, we do ‘mite boxes’ to collect donations that are sent to Episcopal Relief and Development. When a natural disaster occurs, often ER-D will send out an appeal to all parishes in the country asking for donations. We are proud to be able to respond in those times of crises.

Quilts for Kids and the Church of the Common Ground are community ministries supported by members of our parish. Members of the Guild of St Rose make and donate quilts to Quilts for Kids and the Church of the Common Ground to bring comfort to children in need and to people who are homeless. Quilts for Kids is an organization that provides quilts for children in hospitals, in domestic violence shelters, or in the Family Promise program. The Church of the Common Ground is a worshipping community of the Diocese of Atlanta that provides support to unhoused men and women. These incredible community ministries are always welcoming new volunteers who can truly make a difference in the lives of those served within them.

Where will you be able to plug in? Serving is central to the Christian life. We invite you to connect with a ministry (or even start a new outreach ministry) in which God is calling you to share the gifts you have been given and be the hands of Christ in this world.